How to Fix Unknown Device Problems

Most people using Windows are already familiar with device drivers, which are small software programs that enable Windows to communicate with different hardware devices. Windows XP, Vista, Window 7 and 8 actually support quite a lot of hardware by default, but some hardware devices will need additional device drivers.

Missing Device Drivers

So what happens if these additional device drivers are missing? Well in most cases that will result in unknown device errors or unknown usb device errors. Windows will show a device not recognized error and list the unknown device in the “Other devices” category in the Device Manager. An unknown usb device error happens in case of a USB device, which is actually one of the most common unrecognized type of devices.

Below is an example of unknown devices in Windows XP.

Since Vista (and now also Windows 7 and 8) supports even more devices than Windows XP, you should expect unknown device errors to happen a lot less in Vista. But they do happen. Here is an example of the Device Manager in Vista with an unknown device.

Complicating the unknown device error is the fact that different device drivers are required for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows. Drivers for 64-bit versions of Windows have been very hard to find in the past, but this has improved with the increased use of Vista and Windows 7 (and now also with Windows 8), which all come in 64-bit versions. They are actually the most common versions these days, since the amount of RAM in computers has been increasing.

Unknown device errors can happen for all types of devices. As mentioned, the most common unknown device is a unknown USB device, and less common is the PCI unknown device. USB and PCI are both bus types that allow for hardware to communicate with the computer. Examples of unknown USB devices are USB webcams, mobile phones, and external USB hard drives. PCI unknown devices are more likely to be video cards, audio cards and network cards.

Solving an Unknown Device Problem

The most common cause for the unknown device error is a missing driver. The way to solve it is to find the right driver and (re)install the device driver for the hardware device. If you right-click the unknown device in the Device Manager you can select the driver update option. This will search for a device driver for your hardware.

For unknown USB devices, always try unplugging the device first and then re-plugging it after waiting a few seconds. Sometimes the device recognition fails without reason and simply re-plugging the USB device helps.

It is also useful to check the error code. You can find the error code by right-clicking the unknown device in the Device Manager, and selecting Properties in the popup menu. This will show you the device status, including the error code. Unknown devices often have error code 1, as this represents the status that the device is not configured correctly.

Other common error codes are:

code 10, this device cannot start.

code 28, the drivers for this device are not installed.

code 31, the device is not working properly because because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device.

code 39, Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing.

There are many more possible error codes, but not all result in an unknown device. Always try to uninstall the device and restart the computer as this will result in the driver being reinstalled.

If Windows does not have a driver for the unknown device, you will need to find and download a driver for the unknown device. In case you know the brand and model of the device, you can try to find the driver on the manufacturer’s website.

If you cannot find a driver for the unknown device or unknown USB device, you can try and use a driver finder program. This type of program will automatically detect and identify all your hardware devices, including unknown devices, and provide the latest drivers available for it. In a way, it acts as an ‘unknown device’ finder or locator.

Still could not find the driver for your unknown device? Leave a comment and I’ll see if we can help you out!

Comments

92 Comments on How to Fix Unknown Device Problems

@lawrence – Assuming you connect your iPod on a PC USB port, have you looked at the article regarding USB not recognized problems?
Also, what Windows version are you using, and does anything happen at all when you plug the iPod touch?

aaron on
Sun, 27th Dec 2009 1:19 am

Hi, Can you offer any advice? I have a new USB turntable (model ITUT-201SVR) and my Windows 7 computer only recognizes it as an unknown device: “Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43)”. If I go through the steps to update the driver, windows informs me that the driver for the unknown device is up to date. However, it does not appear to be working.

@aaron – Windows 7 might not have the right driver for the turntable, so it will install a driver that is considered compatible with it. That obviously does not work according to your experience also. Do you have any driver for the turntable? Even if you have a XP or Vista driver, you can try and install it in Windows 7 in compatibility mode.

Janet on
Sat, 2nd Jan 2010 5:01 am

I am so frustrated!! When I put my flash drive in, Windows continue to tell me that the device is not recognized and there is no driver for this file. Up until a week or so ago, it recognized it just fine. I have info on this flash that I need for my new job. Can you help me please!!!!!!!

@Janet – If possible, see if the flash driver works on another computer to make sure it is not defect.
Other thing to try is to show hidden devices in the Windows Device Manager, locate your USB flash drive and uninstall it. When you plug it again, the driver will get reinstalled, which might fix the problem. What Windows version is this?

kevin eldridge on
Sat, 2nd Jan 2010 8:40 pm

I just got an mp3 with no instructions. stupid. i just get device not recognized. please help

Rafael on
Sun, 3rd Jan 2010 9:23 am

Hey Can you please help me? I Have an iTouch 32gb. I Have Windows XP, About 3 days ago I Had My iTouch Charging on my comp. Everything was fine. I Shut down my computer, and went to work, When i came home, I went to plug my iTouch into my computer, and a baloon pops up on the lowe right hand screen that says “USB device not recognized and that it malfunctioned” I Have a Laptop HP Compaq nc6400. I Can’t understand whats wrong. i followed all the step-by-step instructions, and unfortunately i don’t have enough money to pay for a “Device finder” or to pay someone to “fix it” for me, That’s why i’m trying my best to do it myself,… Now. when i open the device manager and follow all the steps it tells me

“The drivers for this device are not installed. (Code 28)

To reinstall the drivers for this device, click Reinstall Driver.”

Now i cant do that because i dont have a credit card to pay for a program.
I Have 3 USB Ports on my laptop. I Tried them all none work, and the “code 28″ is only for one usb hub.. so i’m really confused and going crazy :( please help.

@kevin eldridge – If the MP3 player requires a driver, it would come on a CD. If you know the brand and model, you can try to locate the driver on the manufacturer’s website. Do you see any unknown device in the Device Manager?

@Rafael – If drivers are required for the iTouch, you would have them on a CD as well. Secodnly, they would be on the system if the device worked fine first.
Try uninstalling the USB Root Hub devices in the Device Manager. Windows will reinstall them automatically upon reboot. Then try plugging the iTouch again.

Moslem Hassani on
Wed, 6th Jan 2010 9:01 am

Help . Help . please
I Have You Spicking Farsi (Iran)
Help
USB Error Device

@Moslem Hassani – Sorry, you will need to provide a bit more detail about your problem.

Mona on
Sun, 10th Jan 2010 12:09 am

I have a Sansa Clip+ mp3 player. And I connect it to the computer. It says “Connected”, but then after 3 seconds a Bubble pops up that says, USB Device Not Recognized, so I clicked the bubble. It says my mp3 player is a Unknown Device, the “Device Type: Universal Serial Bus Controller.” “Manufacturer: (Standard USB Host Controller)”
Under Device status It says ” No drivers are installed for this device.” I don’t know who to install drivers my Sansa Clip+ mp3 player.

@Mona – The Sansa support website for the clip MP3 player indicates that no drivers are required.
Can you try the MP3 player on a different computer? That would tell us if the device itself is fine. If it works on different PC, we can try fixing it on your computer.
Most likely you need to remove the USB Root Hub devices in the Device Manager and have them reinstall on reboot, but it is better to know first if the player is fine.
Are you logged in as an admin user when you plug it?

delly on
Tue, 12th Jan 2010 3:06 am

I need help ,, i have vista i can’t not find the driver for this.. also when i next time boot up i get error .. blue screen of dead

it happend when i boot up, but when i use last know confg it fine..this so werid..

delly on
Tue, 12th Jan 2010 3:07 am

the error A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage
to your computer.
If this is the first time you’ve seen this stop error screen, restart your
computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:
Check for viruses on your computer.
Remove any newly installed hard drives or hard drive controllers.
Check your hard drive to make sure it is properly configured and terminated.
Run chkdsk /f to check for hard drive corruption, and then restart your
computer.
Technical information:
***STOP: OXOOOOOO7B (OXF78D663C, OXOOOOOOOO, OXOOOOOOOO)

@delly – Stop error 0x0000007B on a blue screen of death means that there is a problem with your boot device. First check that you do not have any USB devices plugged that can be mistakenly used for booting. And make sure there is no CD/DVD in your drive.
If the error persists after checking that, you will need to boot from a Windows setup or recovery disc. Select the repair option in the setup.
In the recovery console you can use the recovery commands to try and fix the boot disk. “chkdsk /f”, “fixmbr” and “fixboot” are the most likely commands to fix it.

nylla on
Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 3:26 am

Anthony,

You seem to have the patience of Job when replying to these requests. Here’s one more for you.

All of a sudden I turn on my computer and it starts the “new hardware found” dialog. For a few days I just cancel out. Then I walk through the steps. The device type is “unknown” so of course it can not find a driver. But I click Finish and it’s over.

Then I look at the control panel, device manager (Win XP SP2) and I have two “unknown device” entries. (The new hardware ran twice btw.) Everything is unknown except on the Details tab, under Device Instance ID, 1 unknown device is Root\Legacy_NDIS\System and the other is Root\Legacy_FastFat\System.

Do you have any advice or comments? Computer seems to be working just fine. HD is formatted as NTFS not FAT.

@nylla – The fact that a device appears in the unknown category of the device manager only indicates that Windows does not have a driver for it.
You can see if the following registry keys are present:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\LEGACY_NDIS

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\LEGACY_FASTFAT

I have seen scenarios where one or more of these keys was missing as a result of anti-virus software quarantining some driver file (.sys).

First thing to try is to run the command “sfc /scannow” at a command prompt window.

Need Help on
Sun, 7th Feb 2010 12:06 pm

hey,
uhm, it says cannot install device because couldnt find neccary software , the disk is in but yes ? im not sure and i was wondering if you might help me. it has worked before but i moved my computer and now it doesnt

@Need Help – You mean the “disc” as in the CD for the device?
In that case, open a Windows Explorer and browse to the CD-drive. Run the setup.exe or install.exe if it is on there.
The only other option is to manually tell Windows where the driver for the device is located when it looks for it. You can again specify the CD-driver there, but you might need to indicate the exact folder on the CD where the driver is.

Felecia on
Mon, 8th Feb 2010 5:41 am

I have windows 7 and ive had it for awhile and its never given me any trouble up until a week ago.

i get the blue screen of death
and i followed your instructions, yet i dont have internet at home to correctly install it again.
but my “oteher devices” is “mass storage Controller”
what do you recommend me to do when i get home?
cause right now im in safe mode deleting everything as possible.

@Felecia – If possible use System Restore, and otherwise see if you can use the driver rollback on the Mass Storage Controller device in the Device Manager.

April Shanta on
Fri, 19th Feb 2010 6:12 pm

Hello! Im working on a Compaq Presario SR2011wm desktop and I am missing a unknown driver. When I right click and go to the missing driver properties the error code is 1. Could you please tell me what error code is that?
Thanks so much!

@April Shanta – Error code 1 in the Device Manager means that the drivers are not installed on the system or that they are not configured correctly.
Reinstalling the applicable driver will fix the issue.
Do you know what device it is? Check the Details tab in the Properties window and look for the Manufacturer and device description.

@marc – If you do not know the brand or model of your modem device, the easiest way is to use a driver finder program. The USB device can have multiple causes, did you try the tips in this article already?

chris on
Wed, 3rd Mar 2010 7:01 pm

i just installed windows 7 ultimate on my sony vaio vgn-sz160p/c
everything works well exepct of an unknown device with error code 28
and on the value has 2 choises
USB/VID_05CA&PID_1830&REV_0100
USB/VID_05CA&PID_1830

@chris – I’ll have a look, I definitely know that the VID_05CA vendor is Ricoh, and HP uses a lot of those devices. They have the PID_1810 and PID_1870 in use in some laptops. Have not seen the PID_1830 yet.
Have your tried the original XP drivers in compatibility mode?

chris on
Thu, 4th Mar 2010 12:24 am

yes i did nothing works
thats the only problem with sony vaio on 32 bit windows7
i apreciate ur help i quess i have to live with that
by the way i think is my sd card reader doesnt reconized
thanks again for ur time and effort

chris on
Thu, 4th Mar 2010 5:17 pm

i found the problem it was my cams drivers i folow ur advice and i downloaded
the windows xp drivers it works fine
the only problem i have now is that doesnt read my sd cards
by the way my sd cards are over 4mbs

@chris – Glad there is some improvement. Are you certain the reader supports those SD cards? Just try a smaller storage size one and see if that works first.

chris on
Thu, 18th Mar 2010 11:13 pm

yes it works til 2gs
but i got a problem now with my hp pavilion dv6000
use to have vista home premium 32 bits and i instal windows7 ultimate and a got 2 unknown devices
the first one writes
PCI bus 5, devices 5, function 3 and the other
PCI bus 5, devices 5, function 2
they both have exclamation marks
i will apreciate ur help

mary on
Thu, 25th Mar 2010 12:31 pm

Hi, can you please help me?
I have a USB flash drive and I have my 12page essay saved on it that is due in 4 hours, and it won’t open. I have Windows Vista. I have uninstalling and reinstalling all the USB port and I followed the devicemanager step as well
Thank You
Mary

BK on
Tue, 6th Apr 2010 7:44 am

I have an easynote R1938 with XP installed. It connects to the internet when hard wired but won’t connect to any wireless networks. The drivers for the wireless card are installed and updated and it shows as active but not connected in the sys tray. In the Device manager I have an unknown device showing but do not have any idea what the device may be. The ethernet connection and comms controller are installed and updated. Any idea what the unknown device may be and if it could be causing the lack of wireless connection?

cheers.

BK on
Tue, 6th Apr 2010 8:00 am

Should also include with item 12, I have tried installing vista and 7 but it crashes on start up saying it cannot use vista or 7 as the bios is not fully compliant and I cannot find any more updated or alternative bios update.

@BK – If your wireless device is working properly according to the device manager, then the unknown device should not normally affect the wireless connection.
There can be many reasons for wireless connections failing. Are you getting an error message when you try?
In any case, check the SSID, the security settings and make sure DHCP is used to get an IP number from the wireless router.
Regarding the unknown device, I would need to know the hardware id from the Details tab in the device properties (Device Manager), or you can try a driver finder application to see if it recognizes the device and offers any drivers for it.

steph on
Fri, 16th Apr 2010 6:24 pm

this still does not work. i’ve tried it a million times. i have an xp and every time i plug in my iPod dock it says “unknown device,” then when the wizard searches for it, it never finds it. i need help with this ASAP!!!

No, it only happened when I connected to updates..as it scanned the PC for undates it needed that is when it would restart..now it won’t boot at all..the only thing it shows is the start up screen that says Compaq..I can’t even boot into the bios…

Jesse on
Tue, 25th May 2010 8:04 am

I have recently installed my w7601i phone drivers onto my vista home laptop and when i plug my phone into the usb it always gives me “unknown device”. when i try to update the driver it tells me that the right driver software is already installed on this computer. The error code is (Code 1)

@Carol – If you can’t get into the Bios or start Windows anymore, there must be a hardware problem. Best have a PC technician look at it.

@Jesse – Device error code 1 really means a driver problem. Either the wrong driver or a driver install error. Did you install the PCSuite from Sony Ericsson?
If possible, uninstall the driver software, reboot, clean the registry, and then try to reinstall the driver.
But really make sure you have the right driver, as a compatible driver might indicate that it works, while it does not really work.

@Matt – I know that the device is indeed an Intel AMT device (PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_108E), but the specific SUBSYS details are unknown to me. Have you checked the compatible id’s in the device manager?

Alex on
Thu, 5th Aug 2010 3:58 am

I just got an ipod touch from a friend. And it was able to sync once b4 with my itunes, but now my computer isn’t able to recognize its “driver”. I’ve tried to update the driver but it says that its already updated. Any knowledge about how to fix this would b greatly appreciated!

Tim on
Sun, 5th Sep 2010 4:00 pm

Hi, I have an unknown device problem under universal serial bus controllers. I’ve tried uninstalling but then when i restart it says ive successfully installed an unknown device! I have a feeling this problem is why my acer web cam isnt working as well? The camera doesnt show up on device manager either. I just want my in built webcam to work! (Acer Aspire 5335)

@Alex – Try uninstalling the ipod touch in the Device Manager (make sure it is plugged, or you won’t see it in the list). Possibly you need to select View->Show hidden devices. Then unplug it, wait a while and plug it again.

@Tim – Your Ace Aspire 5335 uses either a Suyin or Bison webcam driver. Which Windows version are you running?
Try the driver finder program, I know it has drivers for both these webcam brands.

Tim on
Wed, 15th Sep 2010 1:21 am

I’ve tried both of these webcams Suyin says “driver no found” and Bison comes up with a grey screen when opening the camera. I am currently running windows vista.

@Tim – So if you install the Bison webcam driver, does the webcam device show up in the Device Manager under Imaging devices at all? And does it have an error indication?

Brandy on
Wed, 6th Oct 2010 11:39 pm

Hello,
I’m not sure if this is where I should be posting this… sorry if it’s not!
I seem to be having an issue with my integrated webcam software not showing in device manager. I have a HP Pavilion tx1000 running Windows 7 (recently upgraded). The webcam was under device manager and worked fine all day yesterday up until about later that night (8-9PM area, not entirely sure), it’s not there still and shows it as “Unknown device.” I’ve tried troubleshooting it/uninstalling the unknown device and reinstalling the driver, but it always gives me “Code 43″ with “Drivers not installed correctly.”
If I could get some help that would be greatly appreciated! :)

@Brandy – Code 43 in the Device Manager means the hardware associated with the device reported an error through the driver. The fact that reinstalling the drivers fails also appears to point to a hardware malfunction.
Since most internal webcams use the USB interface, it could be a USB related problem. Did you plug/remove any external USB devices? Or are there any errors on other USB devices?

Brandy on
Thu, 7th Oct 2010 3:31 pm

@Anthony – it seems to not work when I boot up my computer and my external wifi card is already plugged in. But if I plug it in after i get to my desktop screen, then it works fine (for now anyway). I haven’t done this multiple times yet to know for sure…

Brandy on
Fri, 8th Oct 2010 7:18 pm

Oh, and there’s a coprocessor in device manager that needs troubleshooting as well, but when it tries to install the driver, it says that the installation failed.

almashad on
Thu, 14th Oct 2010 11:54 am

hi ,

i have Generic USB joystick and i didnt find any driver for it , i tryd to reboot many times and it still says (Unknown)

@Brandy – If you have issues with the coprocessor in the Device Manager, you probably need to install the chipset drivers for the system. HP should have them on the support site (try the Vista drivers if Windows 7 is not available).
You need the NVidia nForce drivers.

@almashad – Most USB joysticks are directly supported by the DirectX drivers (at least to some extend). Did you try reinstalling DirectX? And what is the brand and model of the joystick, maybe it does need a specific driver.

@naurothie – The charger should have nothing to do with this. Have you also looked at the tips in the USB not recognized article.

Jeffry on
Sun, 31st Oct 2010 5:21 pm

hey anthony.. i was wondering if u could help me..
would appreciate it a lot..
i have problems trying to connect to my samsung SCX 4500 printer..
i installed the driver, reinstalled the driver, updated all crucial microsoft updates, along with side updates, flashplayer latest version n so on (some of them said this worked) ..
tried ur steps above too..
i have no problems using other things etc mouse, external drive, and so on but whenever i connect the usb printer to my pc, an error shows ‘one of the usb devices attached to this computer has malfuntioned, and windows does not recognize it.
under the device manager, i clicked unknown device (the only yellow mark) and it shows CODE 43.

P/S: I just upgraded from windows vista home premium to windows 7 professional.
But note: both the previous windows and the current windows 7 pro have this problem.
i even reformatted my pc few times back then when it was still on vista.
Drivers are all fully updated, clicked update driver on the unknown device, but it says latest version installed.
i even tried the microsoft fix kit, and even that software doesnt know how to fix my problem..

computer specs: Intel Core 2 duo processor t7700, 2.40ghz
windows 7 pro,
4gb ram
i hope u will reply n spare some time to help me..
im very sad to keep on sending the pc to the shop, n still get the same unpleasant results..

@jeffry – Error code 43 in the Device Manager means that the driver reported a problem with the device. So in itself the drivers might be installed and working okay.
I have seen a lot of cases with external hard disks and printers where the USB cable was the problem and caused code 43. Have you tried a different USB cable already?

Henri on
Tue, 9th Nov 2010 8:13 pm

I have code 43 , i have tried to reinstall it and use programs but nothing helps , so i could use some help

Jeffry on
Sat, 13th Nov 2010 6:39 am

Lol! guess what, i just bought a new cable and it works…..
after all this years blaming the pc/ printer -.-
thanks a lot man..!

i have an unknown device problem when i connect my visual land v-touch pro mp3 to my pc. i have been loaded too many software but it’s not work.

roland on
Fri, 4th Feb 2011 4:16 pm

someone gave me a laptop its a sony vaio and had windows 2000 on it I installed windows xp media center on it everyting went good loaded the drives for the wireless usb all good the next day I went to load the drives fore the printer the the cd/DVD rom is now not working wont even play a CD its a matshita UJDA710 I got on line with sony they say all my drives are updated theres no yellow in any thing in device managerwhat do i need to do to get it working again ??????? thank you Roland

@roland – Have a look at the Microsoft KB article describing the registry problem with UpperFilters/LowerFilters. That is a common cause of CD/DVD driver problems.

Seven777 on
Tue, 5th Apr 2011 6:47 pm

i got the hp probook 4720s, it came with linux and the drivers cd is for linux only. now i installed windows 7 and it found every driver except the built in 2mp webcam, but i doesnt list it in the normal unknown device place (other devices>unknown device) it is puts in USB controllers>unknown device. i tried installing the drivers from hp website but windows says “the drivers from unknown device are installed”. btw, the icon has the “!” on it and says code 10. when i try to add drivers manually it wont recognize them as appropriate. i dont know what to do anymore??? please help. thank you

Seven777 on
Tue, 5th Apr 2011 6:50 pm

actually now it doesnt say code 10 anymore, it says code 43:windows has stopped the device because it had problems:S the other stuff is still the same

@Seven777 – HP actually has Windows 7 driver support on their website for the probook4720s, have you tried the HP Universal webcam driver listed there? It is file named sp51628.exe.

Seven777 on
Thu, 7th Apr 2011 1:32 pm

@Anthony – I tried that one, it installes but in device manager theres no cam, just unknown device. i also tried adding the driver manually when extracting the files in sp51628.exe but it wont install them. I tried all the other camera drivers on the hp website and it still wont work:S

Bibek on
Mon, 11th Apr 2011 6:18 am

Sir,whenever i connect my USB joystick the computer shows unknown device………but my pendrive is working correctly and i have the driver for USB joystick too but still it doesnt work

@Seven777 – What is the hardware ID of the device, are you sure it is the webcam? And also, did the webcam work when you had linux installed?

@Bibek – Can you provide some more information, like what Windows version, what is the joystick brand and model? And what is the (error) message on the unknown device in the device manager?

Seven777 on
Mon, 11th Apr 2011 10:35 am

@Anthony: it did work in linux and im sure its a webcam because when i disable the webcam in bios the unknown device doesnt appear in windows so thats it

bobbyP on
Mon, 2nd May 2011 7:23 pm

I currently have a Dene Elec 4GB flash drive that was working fine yesterday & today it comes up unknown device. So it doesnt read in my computer under the removable disk spots. When i check status i get Code 43. Can someone tell me how i can get rid of the code 43 because i have important financial data, tax data, photo’s & if they get lost i have them no more. Please someone help me & let me know what i have to do i would appreciate it.

P.S. I also have a 2gb Dane Elec flash drive that works fine still, its just the 4gb one that is having the problerm. Thanx in advance

@bobbyP – You can try the troubleshoot option in the Device properties, as Microsoft recommends for error code 43 in the Device Manager.
But I suggest you also try the 4GB flash disk in a different computer to make sure the drive itself is still fine.
Is your computer a laptop or a desktop?

bobbyP on
Mon, 2nd May 2011 7:43 pm

I tried it in another computer & the same thing accurs, also my 2gb flash drive when opened in my computer the little light blinks green, the 4gb not working the light is orange/red & doesnt blink. Also i been through the trouble shooter & everything i can think of & still cannot find the problem. I mean even if i could just access it to get the files out to put them on another usb drive that would be fine, im just scared im losing my kids pictures & stuff.

I dont know if your familiar with Daneelec flash drives but i was under the impression that some flash drives have a little switch to lock & unlock it from use, does Dane Elec have these switches & if they do then would u know where its located at i mean its the only thing i can think of. Im hoping the flash drive isnt bad, i just got it 2 weeks ago.

@bobbyP – That does not look good. If the disk also does not work in a different computer, it might be broken. The lock option is an option, but it is very recognizable. For SD cards it is a little switch on the sides (generally there is a text “Lock” near it on the top of the SD card).
On USB flash drives this lock mechanism is less common though.

bobbyP on
Mon, 2nd May 2011 7:58 pm

So do you think i could take it to a computer repair shop or anyone who knows more about computers & have the date files on the flash drive extracted to another flash drive or does it look like im screwed from your view with never seeing these files & pics again?

@bobbyP – You can always take it to a computer repair shop, and have them try it. But if it is really broken as I suspect, you might need a specialized data recovery service. And that will be expensive, you would need to assess for yourself it that is worth it to you.
Really, if the disk is still okay, it will work on another computer. So maybe try a few (friends or colleagues), and if none of them work, the data recovery service is the only option.

bobbyP on
Mon, 2nd May 2011 8:22 pm

Yea i searched all over online & found the same answers your saying. I think im just gonna try the few computers & if it still doesnt work i guess i have to cut my loses.

What i am gonna do though is i’ve been reading the package the flash drive came in & also been reading daneelectronics website. Now on the website it states they are no responsable for any of their products that flaw kind of like how mine did. But when reading the package, it says gurenteed satisfication & also never mentions the not responsible comment & only thing about its website it mentions is to visit it for more dane products. Point is on the package it basically can lure people into a false security that backing up your files on there product is a sure bet in which now im gonna contact a lawyer. Theres priceless files on it that their product basically took away from me.

If i would of known they were this sh*tty i would of never of baught this thing. Im new to using flash drives & i have another brand actually had for about 5 years & it still works. I buy a 4gb dane elec 2 weeks ago & it ruined me. Also i been searching online & literally found hundreds of reports of the same exact 4gb dane elec flash drive doing the same problems so i say i have a nice case.

My advice to anyone reading this DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT buy or even USE a Dane Elec flash drive, infact i would not use no dane elec products at all. They are pretty cheap in price but it literally stole important files from me that i will never see again & also if you check around google you will see i am not the only one with this problem. So thats my advice to anyone reading this. Im reporting them to the better buisness beru right now as i type this also.

Well thanx Anthony for trying to help dude i really appreciate bro. You took your time out to help out a stranger & thats good lookin out where im from. Thanx again

Mary on
Tue, 9th Aug 2011 7:07 pm

Okay. I found the unknown drivers. Problem is, I can’t install them, or update them, because my network adapter doesn’t work either. All I could get were the names of the devices, and the location. The type for all nine unknown devices says “other devices.” The manufacturer is unknown. Therefore, I don’t know which manufacturer’s website to get on to manually install the drivers. Help?

@Mary – You will at least need a working Internet connection to download the missing drivers. So I would first try to get the network card or wireless network working.
If the manufacturer is unknown in the Details tab of the device properties, then the only option is to look at the hardware ID instead of the manufacturer property.
Hardware ID’s look like: PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_94C8&SUBSYS_011F1025
In this case that is an ATI Mobility Radeon video card, but more importantly, the hardware ID is unique and will tell you exactly which device it is, including of course the manufacturer.
You can look up vendor ids and device ids at an online website, but if you list the hardware ID of your network card I can direct you to the driver for it.
But please also list your computer brand and model, including Windows version, as that will make finding drivers easier.

mercer2773 on
Thu, 22nd Mar 2012 9:34 am

I have a problem with a Advent 8117 laptop, running Windows 7 ultimate (64 bit) keeps coming up unknown usb device, when you first start the laptop it displays loading usb driver, then displays unable to load driver device unknown, open up device manager drop down list shows unknown usb device with a yellow cross. The problem is when you try to update driver,

windows says it already has a up to date driver .

The main problem is my wireless card is no longer displayed in device manager, and will only connect through eternet connection, could this problem be linked , ie: wireless card problem
i have not changed this card it is the original one from manufacture ? please help

@mercer2773 – The Advent 8117 laptop has a RaLink RT73 wireless card, and the drivers for that should be on the hard disk itself. Although it comes with Vista by default, there are drivers for that wireless card for Windows 7.
But USB problems are more common with Windows 7, especially the 64-bit version, simply since not all hardware manufacturers have 64-bit versions of their USB drivers.
Can you check the hardware ID of the USB device that comes up as unknown and let me know what it is?

mercer2773 on
Thu, 22nd Mar 2012 11:46 am

@Anthony thank you for reply, i am not at the laptop at the moment i will look when i get home tonight ! my question for now is why has my wireless card no longer working and not showing on device manager ?

mercer2773 on
Fri, 23rd Mar 2012 7:18 am

When i got home turned on laptop , everything loaded ok, wireless working fine, card displayed in device manager so unable to get any fault codes to give you ! Having said that after a few minutes it would disconnect itself and reinstall drivers then ask for the code for the secure connection before it would work, it did this a couple of times, each time it did this if you look at device manager it would display a number :ie #1 #2 and so on after the name of the wireless card,
i presume it does that each time it reinstalls .

I took out the wireless card and reconnected it , to see if that would make any diifference :ie new hardware install , still have some problems with disconnection then got a pop up message about this device would work faster connected to 2.0 usb drive. Checked windows update to see if it had loaded any up to date drivers, and it had installed a current driver ! So very confused as to what is going on, as you say it could be a issue with Windows 7 and usb devices conflicting,
but whati can i do to stop this happening.

@mercer2773 – Worst case scenario there is a problem with the hardware connection causing the wireless card to malfunction on an irregular basis. But I am still hoping that it is an issue with Windows 7 or a defect configuration.
Have you tried uninstalling the USB Root Hub devices in the device manager and then reboot? That will reinstall those devices automatically and often fix issues with USB configuration issues.

mercer2773 on
Mon, 2nd Apr 2012 8:22 am

I tried uninstalling the USB Root Hub devices made no difference unfortunately, so went for the worse case scenario and purchased a new wireless card, installed and now working fine with no problems !! thank you Anthony for all your help in trying to resolve my problem, in my case turned out to be a hardware problem.

Bob on
Thu, 5th Apr 2012 10:57 am

Basically; my ipod touch 16 gig 4 th gen was working perfectly yesterday but now when i plug it into my computer or into the mains it doesnt charge and is never recognised. i havent made any big changes recently and all the thing that dont work with my ipod work perfectly with my brothers iphone 4s. whe ni plug my ipod to my computer it say it could not be recognised and ‘Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43)’
I need help urgently,
Many thanks for your help!

@Bob – If the ipod does not even charge when you plug it into the mains, then that indicates a hardware problem. Not something I would expect you can fix on your computer.
Suggest you take it to a specialist or repair center that can check the actual connector.

Sirenane on
Sun, 22nd Apr 2012 8:21 pm

I had windows 7 installed recently and now the built-in bison webcam doesn’t work. I downloaded the driver package from the acer (9300)site and when I click on the live cam icon the pop out window opens but says that I have no video capture hardware. Is there a way that I can get this working???

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